Research for Business Engagement

Our business engagement research informs a wide variety of decisions and developments, from new executive programmes and CPD offers to conferencing services and research partnerships. It involves market sizing, competitor analyses, segmentation studies, pricing and a host of other research activities and techniques. The output, however, is always the same – clear, focused market insights, built upon sector knowledge and robust research.

Engaging for graduate recruitment and sponsorship

Research to assess perceptions of a University’s graduate recruits, expand relationships with employers and identify collaboration opportunities. Conducted for a careers service within a large, research-intensive university. Online survey among employers.

Establishing needs for higher-level skills and identifying opportunities for employer sponsorship in a STEM subject discipline. Qualitative and quantitative research, for a post-1992 university in the South of England.

Income-generating services

Competitive environment / opportunities review for a university’s business-facing services. Included a review of competing provision within HEIs and the private sector.

Competitor and market positioning research for a university’s conference services. Qualitative and quantitative research among current and potential purchasers, and desk research to assess competing offers and pricing.

Knowledge transfer and research partnerships

Identifying opportunities to link a university’s world-class engineering research groups with high-spend R&D departments in target industries. Enabled the School to focus its business engagement strategy upon specific opportunities in CPD, knowledge transfer and collaborative research.

Exploring perceptions of the research brand of a leading UK university, among its research partners in the UK and internationally. In-depth qualitative study, focusing on specific industries and research disciplines and involving organisations from global corporations to SMEs. Part of a major brand and marketing review.

Employer research and internal consultation, to inform a Faculty’s submission for Knowledge Transfer Account (KTA) funding. Explored employers’ attitudes and requirements when recruiting postgraduates, facilitating CPD and engaging with the university for knowledge exchange.

Executive Learning

Portfolio development and positioning research, focusing upon Executive Education. Depth interviews with decision-makers in large corporations, SMEs and the public sector, supported by desk research into competitor offers and a literature review that assessed market trends.

Market-entry research for an innovative suite of postgraduate-level management training developed by a post-1992 university. UK-wide research among learning and development decision-makers in large organisations in specific sectors, to understand approaches to management development and to test the proposed offer.

Market-entry research for a new CPD offer, targeting design-focused organisations; research to test reaction to the proposed offer and to shape market entry strategy. Identified opportunities and barriers and developed recommendations for go-to-market strategy.

Postgraduate CPD market assessments – delivered for two Russell Group universities, including a major multi-methods consultancy/research project.